The Nissan Z NISMO offers impressive specs and performance, but it’s been missing the one thing it needed to become a legitimate enthusiast car: A manual transmission. Given Nissan’s recent struggles, it was unclear if we’d ever see one in the NISMO, but that’s now changed. The automaker confirmed that the car would soon gain a six-speed manual gearbox option.
Nissan Americas’ chairman Christian Meunier confirmed the news in an interview with Automotive News, saying, “We have a NISMO manual transmission coming.” We don’t know when or how the transmission will appear in the lineup, but at this point in 2025, its arrival is likely to land in mid-2026 at the earliest.
While it relies on the same twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 as the standard Z, the NISMO boosts output to 420 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. Nissan also fits a range of other go-fast bits, including upgraded suspension and brakes, more aggressive bodywork, and a limited-slip differential.
The manual transmission makes a significant difference in the driving experience of the standard car, so it will likely be a good thing for the NISMO. That said, it will probably be a bit slower than the automatic, similar to the standard Z, which takes around a half-second longer to reach 60 mph with a manual.
[Images: Nissan]
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